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Madrid, Sep 3 (Ians) The goal was a reward for Madrid’s efforts after falling behind to a 10th minute strike from former striker Borja Mayoral, who found space to take the ball past Kepa before slotting home on Saturday.

Joselu equalized after a long Var check in the 47th minute and Madrid were denied by the woodwork three times and a series of fine saves from Getafe keeper, David Soria until well into injury time, Xinhua reports.

Soria was unable to hold onto Lucas Vazquez’s shot from outside the area, allowing Bellingham to slot the ball from close range.

Real Sociedad showed their attacking power to claim their first win of the season, as they beat Granada 5-3.

Take Kubo scored two impressive goals in the first half, while Martin Zubimendi, Ander Barrenetxea and an own goal from Miki Bosch added to the score after the break.

Robin Le Normand...

Madrid, Aug 7 (Ians) The Spanish La Liga kicks off a new season under its fresh official name this weekend. Yet, the ‘new’ Liga EA Sports is expected to witness the same teams vying for the title, with Fc Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Atletico Madrid emerging as the principal contenders.

It, however, marks the dawn of a different era for the reigning champions, Fc Barcelona. With seasoned players Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets exiting the club during the summer, the addition of Ilkay Gundogan, Oriol Romeu, and Inigo Martinez should ably fill the void.

Ousmane Dembele’s surprising move to Paris Saint Germain raised eyebrows, and unless Barca secure another signing or Ansu Fati returns to form, their attacking strength, where Robert Lewandowski is about to turn 35, might falter.

Barcelona will play their fixtures in the Olympic Stadium in Montjuic while the Camp Nou undergoes renovation. The dynamics of playing before...

Madrid (Spain), July 27 (Ians) Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has said he doesn’t need any more signings ahead of the coming season.

Ancelotti’s remarks were aimed at the recent rumours of a possible pursuit of Paris Saint Germain’s Kylian Mbappe, after goals from new arrivals, Jude Bellingham and Joselu gave Madrid a 2-0 win over Manchester United in their American tour, reports Xinhua.

“The squad is good as it is. We are full,” said Ancelotti, who preferred not to answer direct questions about possible interest for the French international.

“It was a good game, we played well – especially in the first half, with intensity and moving the ball well. We defended well and we played better than in our first game [a 3-2 win against AC Milan].”

“We are good because we have a team with a lot of quality, strength, technique and commitment. That’s the only explanation,” continued the coach,...

After a thrilling tournament, just two teams email in the UEFA Nations League — Spain and Croatia. Croatia has been knocking on the door of international football for years now, getting to or near the World Cup final only to lose at the very end. Can they knock off one of the great footballing nations in Spain to finally an international trophy? Find out this Sunday, June 18 at 2 p.m. Et on Fox. You can watch the 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals with a 5-Day Free Trial of Directv Stream.

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About the 2023 UEFA Nations League

Of all the top international sides in the Eastern Hemisphere, just two remain in...

Madrid, June 17 (Ians) The Spanish national team will look to claim their first UEFA Nations League title when they play Croatia in Rotterdam on Sunday.

The Spanish booked a consecutive appearance in the final with an impressive 2-1 win against Italy on Thursday, with a display of controlled football in midfield and pace in attack.

Substitute Joselu was in the right place at the right time to win the game and the striker, who is being linked with a possible return to Real Madrid from Espanyol, has a chance of being in Sunday’s starting 11.

Thursday’s win lifted some of the pressure off Spain’s coach, Luis de la Fuente after defeat in Scotland in March, with the Spanish sports paper Diario As reporting that defeat to the Italians would have seen the former Under-21 coach sacked and replaced by former Rayo Vallecano boss, Andoni Iraola, a Xinhua report said.

Madrid, May 25 (Ians) Real Madrid secured a 2-1 victory over Rayo Vallecano at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Wednesday night, with the home crowd acknowledging winger Vinicius Jr.

Despite Vinicius Jr’s red card earned in Valencia at the weekend being overturned by the Spanish Football Federation Disciplinary Committee on Tuesday due to the racist abuse he endured in the same match, he didn’t participate in the match. He was seen in the directors’ box next to Real Madrid’s president Florentino Perez.

The crowd at the Bernabeu honoured Vinicius with a round of applause in the 20th minute, shortly before Karim Benzema netted a remarkable goal in the 30th minute, assisted by Fede Valverde.

Although Madrid were not at their best, Rayo had opportunities to equalise before Raul de Tomas seemed to have secured a point in the 83rd minute. However, Rodrygo netted a last-minute goal for Madrid.

The...

Madrid, May 15 (Ians) Fc Barcelona clinched the La Liga title with four games left this season, thanks to a 4-2 win away against local rivals Espanyol on Sunday night.

Robert Lewandowski opened the scoring after just 10 minutes, and Alejandro Balde doubled the lead with a far-post volley nine minutes later before Lewandowski’s second of the match made it 3-0 before halftime, reports Xinhua.

Jules Kounde headed home Barca’s fourth eight minutes into the second half, and although Javi Puado pulled a goal back for Espanyol in the 73rd minute and Joselu netted a second in injury time, it was too little too late for Espanyol, who remain second from bottom of the table.

The result leaves Xavi Hernandez’s side with 84 points from 34 matches: a 14-point lead over second-place Real Madrid and 16 points more than Atletico Madrid in third.

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti made seven changes ahead...

New Delhi, May 2 (Ians) The Laliga Santander action doesn’t stop, as there is a midweek matchday for the second week in a row. Matchday 33 will take place across Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and there are several important fixtures coming up.

League leaders Fc Barcelona are taking part in the first time slot of the midweek round, on Tuesday, as they host CA Osasuna at the Spotify Camp Nou. Having just thrashed Real Betis 4-0 at home, the fans of the Catalan club will hope for a similar result as Xavi’s side look to close in on the title.

At that same time slot, there is a big match near the bottom of the table as Ud Almería host Elche Cf. Los Franjiverdes managed to avoid the mathematical confirmation of their seemingly inevitable relegation with an impressive 4-0 win over Rayo Vallecano on Saturday and they’ll hope to...

Madrid, April 28 (Ians) Lucas Ocampos scored a stoppage-time penalty to secure a 1-0 win for Sevilla away to Athletic Club Bilbao with their only shot of the game in La Liga on Thursday.

The penalty was awarded for a foul by Yeray Alvarez on the winger and confirmed by Var, despite TV images showing the defender touched the ball as he challenged, reports Xinhua.

The penalty decided a tight match in which defenses dominated for the most part, but Athletic had two first-half goals disallowed for offside.

Villarreal climbed above Betis into fifth place after netting four second-half goals at home against Espanyol, who now find themselves deeper in trouble at second from the bottom of the table.

Javi Puado put Espanyol ahead just before halftime, but Etienne Capoue equalized in the 53rd minute and Dani Parejo put Villarreal in front 10 minutes later.

Espanyol’s top scorer Joselu levelled in the 73rd minute,...

Madrid, March 29 (Ians) “It’s a painful defeat and we have to improve,” Luis de la Fuente’s glorious revolution as the new coach of the Spanish national team lasted just two games after his second ended in a painful 2-0 defeat to Scotland in Glasgow.

While it’s fair to say that the Scots have vastly improved under Steve Clarke and clearly had the bit between their teeth from the moment Scott McTominay put them ahead in the seventh minute, Spain was unable to match them and left the pitch in Glasgow after a chastening experience that leaves a lot of question marks over their future, reports Xinhua news agency.

Hopes were high for the former Under-21 coach, De la Fuente, after Spain kicked off their European Championship qualifying campaign with a 3-0 win over Norway on Saturday night, with Joselu scoring two goals in five minutes after coming on as a late substitute.

Glasgow (Scotland), March 29 (Ians) Scott McTominay scored twice as Scotland beat Spain 2-0 in their Euro 2024 qualifier tie on Tuesday night to move top of their group with two wins from two matches.

McTominay scored early in each half as Scotland produced a solid display which left Spain few options in the first defeat of Luis de la Fuente’s time as head coach.

De la Fuente made eight changes to the side which had beaten Norway 3-0 on Saturday, with only goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and central midfielders Rodri and Mikel Merino keeping their places, while Scotland coach Steve Clarke brought Lyndon Dykes in for the injured Che Adams and McTominay also started after having scored twice against Cyprus, a Xinhua report said.

The game was just seven minutes old when the Manchester United midfielder put Scotland ahead. Andy Robertson pressured Pedro Porro, who slipped at the wrong time, allowing...

New Delhi, March 28 (Ians) There may not have been any Laliga Santander action this past week, since it was the March international break, but there were still several interesting developments at Spain’s clubs and the most interesting are discussed below.

Mendilibar takes charge at Sevilla Fc

For the 16th season in a row, Jose Luis Mendilibar will coach in Laliga Santander. The 62-year-old has been appointed as the new boss at Sevilla Fc, replacing Jorge Sampaoli as the Andalusian club move on to their third manager of the campaign. Mendilibar brings a wealth of experience to the Estadio Ramón Sanchez-Pizjuan, having taken charge of 448 Laliga Santander games in his career, and he’ll look to use that know-how to lead Sevilla Fc away from relegation danger.

Elche Cf appoint Beccacece

Elche Cf have also made a coaching change during the international break, with Pablo Machín let go and with...

Berlin (Germany), March 26 (Ians) Substitute Joselu scored twice in two minutes to spur Spain past Norway 3-0 in Group A, while Nathan Broadhead’s 93rd-minute equaliser earned Wales a 1-1 draw with Croatia in Group D of the Euro 2024 qualifiers on Saturday.

Dani Olmo flicked Alejandro Balde’s cross-shot into the net in the 13th minute to set off Spain to a good start in Luis de la Fuente’s first match in charge in Malaga.

Coming in as a substitute in the 81st minute, Joselu headed past Orjan Nyland in just two minutes and found the net again from close range one minute later to seal Spain’s 23rd consecutive home win in Euro qualifiers, reports news agency Xinhua.

In Group D, Andrej Kramaric’s strike in the 28th minute put Croatia ahead, before he and Luka Modric continued to create chances but all were denied by Wales ‘keeper Danny Ward.

Madrid (Spain), March 16 (Ians) The El Clasico between Fc Barcelona and Real Madrid will again take pride of place in La Liga this weekend, although the last round of matches before the international break is vital at both ends of the league’s table.

Barcelona and Real Madrid have already faced each other three times this season, with Real Madrid winning 3-1 in their first La Liga meeting. Barca beat Real by the same score in the Spanish Supercup and won 1-0 in the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium at the start of March in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal.

That game saw Xavi Hernandez’s side produce an untypically ultra-defensive display without several key players through injury, reports Xinhua.

Robert Lewandowski and Pedri will be back on Sunday, giving Xavi more options than a fortnight ago, although Ousmane Dembele is still sidelined with his muscle problem.

Real...

Madrid, March March 13 (Ians) Fc Barcelona take a nine-point lead over Real Madrid into next weekend’s El Clasico in the Camp Nou after a hard-fought and controversial 1-0 win away to Athletic Bilbao.

Raphinha’s diagonal shot in first-half injury time was enough to give Barca the points in a game where Raul Garcia and Alex Berenguer hit the woodwork for the home side, reports Xinhua.

Athletic thought they had scored a deserved equalizer through Inaki Williams in the 86th minute, but Var ruled the goal out for a supposed handball when Iker Muniain had won the ball in midfield – although the images seemed to show the ball had hit his shoulder.

Real Madrid warmed up for El Clasico with a relatively comfortable 3-1 win at home to Espanyol on Saturday.

Although Joselu put Espanyol ahead in the eighth minute, Vinicius Jr and Eder Militao turned the game around before halftime.

New Delhi, March 2 (Ians) Six of Spain’s biggest clubs will be facing off amongst each other this coming weekend, with some of the most traditional rivalries in Spanish football resuming for the next chapter.

Atletico de Madrid, Sevilla Fc, Fc Barcelona, Valencia Cf, Real Betis and Real Madrid are six huge teams, with every one of them boasting average attendances of above 36,000 this season, so we should expect a very atmospheric Matchday 24.

One of the other huge clubs of Laliga Santander will be hosting the round’s opening game on Friday night, as Real Sociedad take on Cadiz Cf in San Sebastian. It’s actually Cadiz Cf who come into this game in better form, as they’ve collected nine points from their past five matches whereas La Real have taken just five points in that time. So, this will be a test for Imanol Alguacil’s side as...

Madrid, Feb 2 (Ians) The second half of La Liga season gets underway this weekend as the fixture pile up continues in Spain.

Athletic Bilbao and Cadiz get the weekend underway on Friday night, with the home side looking for their first league win of 2023. Athletic also need to start scoring goals after having found the net just once in their five league matches since the start of the year.

The fact Cadiz won 1-0 on their last two visits to the San Mames Stadium could be a worry to the home side.

Espanyol’s recovery suffered a setback when they lost to Almeria last weekend, but Diego Martinez’s side has a chance to get back on track against a tough Osasuna. As always, Joselu will be the main threat for Espanyol, having scored 11 of their 23 league goals this season, although home fans will be keen to see some of...

Team Of The Week 12 is here in FIFA 23 with 11 starting players and a further 12 substitute stars available in the promotion. FIFA 23's Teams Of the Weeks have been commonplace in Ultimate Team for several years, offering promotional cards for select players that have stood out in real matches. Stars from Europe's top divisions feature in the promotion and are available for players to find in packs for the next week.

Two players lead the way with 88 ratings in the 12th Team Of The Week promotion for FIFA 23, with the stand out being Pablo Dybala. Fresh off the back of lifting the World Cup with Argentina, forward Dybala has returned to club side Roma in great form. Several of Dybala's World Cup winning teammates featured in the FIFA 23's Team Of The Tournament promotion. A double for the forward has earned him the best card of the week, highlighted by a 92 dribbling stat.

New Delhi, Jan 24 (Ians) With several January transfers being confirmed this past week, as well as a number of long-term contract renewals, these past few days have been important for several Spanish clubs.

There were important developments on the pitch too, with Barca managing to stay top of the Laliga Santander standings.

Here are 10 of the top stories, from Sorloth’s scoring streak to the latest transfers and contract renewals.

1. Pedri is becoming a goalscoring threat

Fc Barcelona are still top of the Laliga Santander table and that’s thanks to Pedri’s goal in their 1-0 home victory over Getafe Cf on Sunday afternoon. This latest goal was the Canary Islander’s fifth across all competitions in the 2022/23 campaign and comes just one week after he also scored in the Spanish Super Cup final. Xavi had been calling for Pedri to shoot more and to contribute more goals from...

Madrid, Jan 21 (Ians) Athletic Club and Real Madrid will face each other in the upcoming matchday of Spanish La Liga in what is an eagerly anticipated clash.

Given that the two clubs head into Sunday’s match on the back of disappointments last weekend, they’ll both be looking to bounce back. This is always an eye-catching encounter and here are five factors that are worth looking out for and that make this one of the top games of Matchday 18.

This is a chance to bounce back

Both these teams suffered 3-1 losses in important games last weekend, as Athletic Club lost the Basque Derby in the previous matchday at the Reale Arena against Real Sociedad, while Los Merengues fell to defeat in the Spanish Super Cup final against Fc Barcelona. As such, both squads are viewing this fixture as an opportunity to forget those respective defeats. In the case of Athletic Club,...

Madrid, Jan 16 (Ians) Real Sociedad consolidated their position in third place in La Liga with a 3-1 win over Athletic Club Bilbao.

The Basque derby was played in a great atmosphere in the Anoeta Stadium, with the home side causing Athletic a lot of problems with their high pressure, reports Xinhua news agency.

The pressure produced the first goal as Athletic failed to clear an attack and the ball fell kindly to Alexander Sorloth to control and score inside the area in the 24th minute.

Take Kubo doubled Real Sociedad’s lead before halftime after Mikel Vesga had been robbed trying to play the ball out of defense.

Oihan Sancet pulled a goal back for Athletic before halftime, but the game was over as a contest on the hour after the referee gifted Real Sociedad a penalty and harshly sent off Athletic defender Yeray Alvarez for the slightest of touches on Kubo.

Madrid, Jan 16 (Ians) Real Sociedad consolidated their position in third place in La Liga with a 3-1 win over Athletic Club Bilbao.

The Basque derby was played in a great atmosphere in the Anoeta Stadium, with the home side causing Athletic a lot of problems with their high pressure, reports Xinhua news agency.

The pressure produced the first goal as Athletic failed to clear an attack and the ball fell kindly to Alexander Sorloth to control and score inside the area in the 24th minute.

Take Kubo doubled Real Sociedad’s lead before halftime after Mikel Vesga had been robbed trying to play the ball out of defense.

Oihan Sancet pulled a goal back for Athletic before halftime, but the game was over as a contest on the hour after the referee gifted Real Sociedad a penalty and harshly sent off Athletic defender Yeray Alvarez for the slightest of touches on Kubo.

Madrid (Spain), Jan 13 (Ians) Fc Barcelona and Real Madrid are absent from La Liga matches this weekend as they compete in the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia. Nevertheless, there is still plenty of action as Spain’s top flight moves onto its 17th round of matches.

Here are some things to look out for in the coming days:

1. A big Basque derby

This season’s first Basque derby between Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao sees the two sides challenging for a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League, with Real Sociedad also looking like the only team able to get near Barca and Madrid in the race for the league’s title.

Imanol Alguacil’s team go into the match in excellent form, with six wins in all competitions, and the connection between Brais Mendez and Alexander Sorloth in attack working to perfection.

The return of Mikel Oyarzabal...

Madrid, Jan 8 (Ians) A goal from Yeremy Pino and a penalty from Gerard Moreno gave Villarreal a 2-1 win at home to Real Madrid in a thrilling La Liga match.

With defender Dani Carvajal injured, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti named a starting lineup without a single Spanish player in a league game for the first time ever.

Villarreal started brightly and could have had two goals in the opening minutes, with Francis Coquelin hitting the post, but somehow the game arrived at the break 0-0.

Pino’s powerful shot put Villarreal ahead early in the second half, but Real Madrid were level just before the hour when the Var awarded them a penalty after the ball brushed defender Juan Foyth’s hand.

Karim Benzema made no mistake from the penalty spot, but three minutes later another controversial handball saw Villarreal awarded a spot kick and this time Moreno sent...

Madrid, Jan 3 (Ians) Spanish La Liga side Espanyol has confirmed they have appealed against the result of Saturday’s derby against local rivals Fc Barcelona, due to the presence of Robert Lewandowski in Barca’s starting 11.

Lewandowski was allowed to start after the Central Litigation Court in Madrid temporarily suspended a three-game ban which the striker had been handed following his sending off in Barca’s visit to Osasuna in November.

Although the Spanish Football Federation’s (Rfef) appeal’s committee rejected Barca’s original appeal against the suspension and the Administrative Tribunal for Spain (Tad) also rejected Barca’s appeals, the court’s decision meant Lewandowski was in the side to face Espanyol, reports Xinhua news agency.

Espanyol reacted to the news by failing to send any official representation to the match, which ended 1-1 with Joselu’s late penalty cancelling out Marcos Alonso’s early opener for Barca.

Madrid, Nov 7 (Ians) Atletico Madrid’s poor week continued late on Sunday when they were held to a 1-1 draw in the Metropolitano Stadium by Espanyol, despite the visitors playing for over an hour with 10 men.

Leandro Cabrera was slightly unlucky to be shown a direct red card after being adjudged to have committed a professional foul on Alvaro Morata in the 28th minute, but Atletico were unable to take advantage and were booed off at halftime.

Things got even worse for Diego Simeone’s men in the 62nd minute when Sergi Darder put Espanyol in front after good work from Joselu, but Joao Felix saved a point with a powerful volley with 12 minutes remaining, reports Xinhua.

Real Sociedad were also reduced to 10 men early in their 1-1 draw at home to Valencia when Aritz Elustondo caught Samuel Lino with a full set of studs.

The side from San Sebastian...

Madrid, Oct 21 (Ians) There is no halt to La Liga in this intense start to the football season in Spain, with Matchday 11 kicking off just a day after the 10th round of games came to an end on Thursday night.

Rayo Vallecano and Cadiz get the ball rolling on Saturday lunchtime, with Rayo aiming to build on their 1-1 draw away to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night, while Cadiz need to stretch their unbeaten run to six games to have a chance of getting out of the relegation zone.

Real Sociedad take an eight-match winning streak, which has lifted them up to third in the table, to Valladolid on Saturday afternoon.

Real Sociedad’s coach Imanol Alguacil has the luxury of knowing his team has already assured a place in the knockout stage of the Europa League and will be able to field his strongest side, although he is still without injured forwards Mikel Oyarzabal,...

Madrid, Oct 13 (Ians) The ‘Clasico’ between Real Madrid and Fc Barcelona will capture most of the headlines this weekend in Spain as the top two sides in La Liga renew their eternal rivalry.

Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen and Hector Bellerin are all out for Barcelona, and the absences in central defense are what will most worry Xavi Hernandez against a Real Madrid side that has already ensured its place in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League.

Players such as Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and Federico Valverde will look to cause Barca problems on the break, and Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti’s only worry ahead of the match is whether or not goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois can shake off a back problem.

Although it is sometimes hard to believe, the Clasico is not the only game in Spain this weekend, which starts with Rayo Vallecano at home to Getafe in a...

Madrid, Oct 10 (Ians) Fc Barcelona had to withstand a second half fightback at home to Celta Vigo to cling on for a narrow 1-0 win in the Camp Nou on Sunday in the eighth round match of La Liga.

Barca controlled the first half completely, with Gavi and Pedro running the midfield, and it was no surprise when Gavi set Pedro up to score from close range in the 17th minute.

Everything changed after the break, with Celta seeing a goal ruled out for a close offside, while Marc-Andre ter Stegen produced two excellent saves to deny Iago Aspas and Oscar.

Barca will have to improve considerably if they are to beat Inter Milan in the Champions League ahead of next weekend’s El Clasico against Real Madrid, reports Xinhua.

Eder Militao’s third-minute header gave Real Madrid a 1-0 win away to Getafe in a match where Madrid coach...

Madrid, Oct 3 (Ians) Real Madrid surrendered the leadership of La Liga to Barcelona after being held to a 1-1 draw at home by Osasuna on Sunday evening. Karim Benzema was back in the starting 11, while Andriy Lunin replaced Thibaut Courtois in goal after the Belgian had to drop out with a back injury.

Madrid took the lead with a stroke of fortune and a dose of controversy in the 42nd minute when Vinicius Jr’s cross went in at the far post. Osasuna players claimed offside as Var rejected the visitors’ appeals.

Kike Garcia’s second-half header gave Osasuna a deserved equalizer but Madrid should have won when they were given a 78th-minute penalty after David Garcia’s push on Benzema, reports Xinhua.

Benzema sent the spot kick against the bar and Osasuna clung on bravely until the end to take a point and end Madrid’s 100 percent start to the season.

Madrid, Sep 12 (Ians) Real Madrid came back from a goal down and the loss of Karim Benzema through injury to win 4-1 at home to Real Mallorca and maintain their unbeaten record at the top of La Liga.

Vedat Muriqi headed Mallorca ahead in the 35th minute on Sunday evening, but Fede Valverde equalised in first-half injury time. The Uruguayan collected the ball inside his own half and slalomed his way into the Mallorca area before scoring a magnificent goal.

Vinicius Jr was looking to lead Madrid in Benzema’s absence, but Mallorca held firm until the 72nd minute when the Brazilian scored with a left-foot shot, reports Xinhua. The game was still in the balance until Rodrygo also scored an excellent solo goal in the 89th minute and Antonio Rudiger headed in a fourth in injury time.

Fc Barcelona won 4-0 in Cadiz in a match that had to...

Madrid, Sep 11 (Ians) Fc Barcelona went to bed as leaders of La Liga on Saturday night after a 4-0 win away to Cadiz in a match where a big part of the drama was in the stands.

The game had to be stopped in the 81st minute when a Cadiz supporter suffered a supposed heart attack and received emergency treatment before being evacuated to hospital, causing a delay of over half an hour.

Barca were leading 2-0 when the game had to be halted thanks to second-half goals from Frenkie de Jong and Robert Lewandowski. Ansu Fati and Ousmane Dembele scored two more after the match was restarted.

Atletico Madrid enjoyed a relatively comfortable 4-1 win at home to Celta Vigo, reports Xinhua.

Angel Correa’s sixth-minute goal separated the two sides after a relatively even first half, but Atletico took control after the break when Rodrigo de Paul scored from Koke’s knockdown.

Madrid, Sep 9 (Ians) The fifth round of matches in La Liga this weekend is a key moment for two La Liga coaches and will also be the first test of the squad depth of the teams playing in Europe.

Here are some things to look out for this weekend.

1. Cadiz coach Sergio Gonzalez’s future depends on a good display against Barca

Cadiz coach Sergio Gonzalez and Sevilla’s Julen Lopetegui are the early-season favorites in the ‘sack-race’ to see who will be the first coach to lose their job this season.

Despite leading Cadiz to safety last season, Sergio is under pressure after a start that has seen his side lose all four matches, while conceding 10 goals and not scoring any.

The fact Cadiz face Fc Barcelona doesn’t help his cause, but he needs to see an improvement in both commitment and organization.

Barca travel to Cadiz after...

Madrid (Spain), Aug 29 (Ians) The third round of matches in La Liga finishes on Monday with Cadiz against Athletic Club and Valencia entertaining Atletico Madrid, but the weekend has already taught us some important things.

Here are fourth things we learned from the matches held this weekend.

1. No Casemiro, no change at Real Madrid

Even though the score in Real Madrid’s visit to play Espanyol was 1-1 with just two minutes of normal time remaining, there was a feeling of inevitability about Real Madrid’s win and sure enough, Karim Benzema put his side ahead in the 88th minute and sealed the victory with a free kick in the 10th minute of injury time.

Once again Real Madrid weren’t brilliant, once again Thibaut Courtois made a huge save to deny Espanyol striker Joselu when it was 1-1, and once again Vinicius Jr and Benzema were decisive.

With Casemiro now at Manchester United,...

Madrid, Aug 29 (Ians) Captain Karim Benzema scored twice in a wild finish as Real Madrid won 3-1 at Espanyol to preserve their 100 per cent record after three games of the La Liga season.

Vinicius Junior’s tidy finish was cancelled out by a goal from Joselu, who has made a habit of scoring against Madrid since spending three years early in his career with the capital club’s ‘Castilla’ B team, reports Dpa.

Benzema had a goal ruled out after the break, while Joselu almost pinched another, before Benzema turned in a cross from Rodrygo to snatch the points. Espanyol goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte was sent off in stoppage time and Benzema added his second from the subsequent free-kick as the game ended chaotically.

The result means Madrid move level on nine points with Real Betis, the next opponents for Carlo Ancelotti’s team and the only other side with a perfect record.

Madrid, Aug 16 (Ians) Real Betis, Atletico Madrid and Villarreal share the leadership of La Liga following the first round of matches, after the three sides kicked off the season with 3-0 wins.

Betis beat Elche after their job was made much easier by the sending off of Elche defender John Chetauya after just 15 minutes for a professional foul on Aitor Ruibales.

Borja Iglesias opened the scoring for Betis in the 27th minute, and last season’s top scorer Juanmi kicked off the season with two goals in the 38th and 59th minutes, as the home side enjoyed an easy win, reports Xinhua.

Alvaro Morata celebrated his return to Atletico Madrid from Juventus with two goals as his side opened the season with a 3-0 win away to Getafe.

Joao Felix supplied both assists for Morata, before Antoine Griezmann completed the scoring with a left-foot shot with 15 minutes left to play.

Madrid, Aug 14 (Ians) Fc Barcelona kicked off the new La Liga season with a disappointing 0-0 draw at home to Rayo Vallecano.

Barca had moments of impressive football on Saturday night, but Rayo defended well and have not conceded a goal in their last three meetings with the Catalans.

Andreas Christensen, Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha all made their first team debuts for Xavi Hernandez’s side while Ousmane Dembele was also in the starting 11 after signing his new contract, reports Xinhua. Barca looked to open up the pitch in the first half with Dembele and Raphinha both looking dangerous, although without working Rayo keeper, Stole Dimitrievski.

The visitors began by pressing Barca high up the pitch, but were pushed deeper as the half progressed, although Alvaro had a good chance well saved by Marc Andre Ter Stegen.

Dimitrievski saved well from Ansu Fati (who came on as a second half...

Madrid, Aug 12 (Ians) The 2022-23 La Liga season kicks off in Spain this weekend with some subtle changes to rules and the uncertainty over the effects of a pre-season break for the World Cup finals will cause.

Referees have been told to clamp down on time wasting and add on extra time if needed and (in theory) they should also alter their interpretation of handball in the penalty area, with only clear infractions given as penalties.

The first three rounds of matches won’t have midday or mid-afternoon games due to the probability of hot weather and the season kicks off just as temperatures appear to be easing after the hottest summer on record in Spain, reports Xinhua.

There is also some uncertainty over which players will be able to play in the opening weekend, with several clubs (among them Fc Barcelona) struggling to meet La Liga’s tough financial...

Madrid, Aug 11 (Ians) Spanish La Liga club Espanyol confirmed on Thursday that Chinese international striker Wu Lei is leaving the club to return to his homeland.

The 30-year-old is returning to Shanghai Port, where he played before coming to Spain, scoring 151 league goals in 296 appearances.

Wu arrived in Spain in January 2019 and scored 16 goals in 126 appearances for Espanyol, becoming the first ever Chinese player to score in La Liga in the process.

Although he was popular with fans of the Barcelona-based club, Wu found himself increasingly on the fringes of the team in the last two seasons, playing just 457 minutes of league football last season and 835 the year before, as the club played in Spain’s second division, reports Xinhua.

The arrival of striker Joselu from Alaves in the summer further reduced Wu’s chances of playing this season, and he did not participate in the club’s pre-season training...

Madrid, March 22 (Ians) Luis Suarez's 500th goal and a late penalty save from Jan Oblak were enough for Atletico Madrid to maintain their four-point lead at the top of La Liga.

Suarez's near-post header nine minutes into the second half was enough to give Atletico a 1-0 win at home to struggling Alaves on Sunday, and although Atletico kept the ball well to deny Alaves any clear chances, a flailing arm from Stefan Savic gifted the visitors a penalty six minutes from time.

Joselu hit his penalty hard, but Oblak guessed correctly to make a vital save to take his side one step closer to the title.

Fc Barcelona responded to the pressure in brilliant style as they demolished Real Sociedad in San Sebastian on a special day for Lionel Messi, who set a new record of 768 appearances for the club and celebrated with two more goals.

Former Real...